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Izzy Osborn

Discipline:

Intermedia Artist

Location:

Edinburgh

ABOUT:

My practice deals in the recombination of cultural waste. It is engaged intimately with current political, ecological, and cultural spheres. What is
incredibly important to my practice is notion of the Anthropocene. The idea that human activity since the industrial revolution has so altered the
planet, it warrants the naming of this period as a new geological epoch. The Anthropocene has a tendril like reach into all aspects of life, not just
climate concerns. The goal of my practice is to depict anthropocentric activity, a reordering of symbolic spolia to clarify the existence of the
Anthropocene outwith the existence of the individual.
This depiction is achieved through a revaluation of anthropocentric waste. Discarded man-made materials are reworked using a CAD/CAM Laser
cutter. Through this branding process, objects without any individual providence are freed from their fate. The engraved compositions I apply to
these substrates gesture toward the larger political, social and cultural implications of the Anthropocene. A diverse array of signs are reassembled
to comment upon topics which range from food insecurity to warfare.
My nom de guerre, 20XX, represents the Anthropocene’s effective destruction of conventional conceptions of time. Contemporary anthropocentric
activity will have effects which will reach far into the Earth’s future, and continually reconfigure our notion of our own history. The previous epoch
lasted for 10,000 years. The Anthropocene might just last forever.

WORKS:

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'Working Class Creatives' responds to a need which is too often overlooked in the arts; that of the barriers facing working-class artists from getting on in our sector. They are instrumental in initiating much-needed change that will see the art world become more inclusive and reflect the society it purports to serve. I often search their database in my research, it is a vital resource for any arts professional working in culture today. That they have got this far on so little financial resource is remarkable and I am excited to see what they will achieve with further support.” Beth Hughes, Curator, Arts Council Collection.

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